The purpose of the Fire Ground Survival program is to ensure that training for
Mayday prevention and Mayday operations are consistent between all fire
fighters, company officers and chief officers. Fire fighters must be trained to
perform potentially life-saving actions if they become lost, disoriented,
injured, low on air or trapped. These training exercises must be consistent
throughout the fire service. Funded by the IAFF and assisted by a grant from the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Assistance to Firefighters
(FIRE Act) grant program, our comprehensive Fire Ground Survival training program applies
the lessons learned from fire fighter fatality investigations conducted by the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and has been
developed by a committee of subject matter experts from the IAFF, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and NIOSH.

Background

There is no other call more challenging to fire ground operations than a MAYDAY
call — the unthinkable moment when a fire fighter’s personal safety is in imminent
danger. Fire fighter fatality data compiled by the United States Fire
Administration have shown that fire fighters “becoming trapped and disoriented
represent the largest portion of structural fire ground fatalities.” The
incidents in which fire fighters have lost their lives, or lived to tell about
it, have a consistent theme — inadequate situational awareness put them at risk.

Fire fighters don’t plan to be lost, disoriented, injured or trapped during
a structure fire or emergency incident. But fires are unpredictable, volatile
and ruthless – and they will not go according to your plans. What a fire fighter
knows about a fire before entering a blazing building may radically change
within minutes once inside the structure. Smoke, low visibility, lack of oxygen,
structural instability and an unpredictable fire ground can cause even the most
seasoned fire fighter to be overwhelmed in an instant.
It’s not a matter of IF the MAYDAY happens, it’s WHEN!

The guiding fire service philosophy for decades has been training for success — we
teach how to put the fire out or mitigate other hazards and hope everyone goes
home. What we have failed to consistently do is drill for when failure does occur;
without such training fire fighters do not have the practiced skills to rely on
IF and WHEN they get into trouble.

The IAFF Fire Ground Survival (FGS) program is the most comprehensive survival
skills and MAYDAY prevention program currently available within the fire
service. Incorporating federal regulations, proven incident management best
practices and survival techniques from leaders in the field, and real case
studies from experienced fire fighters, the FGS program aims to educate all fire
fighters to be prepared if the unfortunate happens. IAFF Fire Ground Survival
instructors will provide participating fire departments with the skills they
need to improve situational awareness and prevent a MAYDAY. Topics covered
include:

From the first-in recruit to the experienced commanding officer, the FGS program
provides all levels of staff the step-by-step tools to use whether they are
caught in the MAYDAY or leading the rescue. Through the use of mnemonics, case
studies, personal experiences and real-time communications, personnel
throughout the ranks will learn the life-saving techniques they need to know to
facilitate a successful MAYDAY rescue.

MAYDAY training is fire fighter safety training. But without an ongoing training
program, MAYDAY skills will deteriorate. A safe fire ground is maintained only
when fire fighters can perform instinctively during a MAYDAY situation. From
arrival at an incident to extinguishment of a fire, frequent drills are the only
way fire personnel can be ready when a member needs immediate
assistance. The FGS program provides the crucial review and practice fire
service personnel need to improve survivability and decrease injury potential.

Fires will always be unpredictable and dangerous. Lack of situational awareness
can mean disaster on the fire ground. FGS training can be the difference between
life and death.

However, the program can only save lives when fire departments choose to use it.

The IAFF began developing the Fire Ground Survival training
program in December 2007 to ensure that training for MAYDAY prevention and
MAYDAY operations are consistent between all fire fighters, company officers
and chief officers. Fire fighters must be trained to perform potentially
life-saving actions if they become lost, disoriented, injured, low on air or
trapped. These training exercises must be consistent throughout the fire
service.

Funded by the IAFF and assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) through the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE Act) grant program,
this comprehensive
Fire Ground Survival training program applies the lessons learned from fire
fighter fatality investigations conducted by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and was developed by a committee of
subject matter experts from the IAFF, the
International Association of Fire chiefs and NIOSH.

This initiative relies on the experiences that IAFF members have faced on the
fire ground so fire fighters in similar situations will be able to perform
standard, potentially life-saving actions if they become lost, disoriented,
injured, low on air or trapped.

By February 2008, the IAFF had completed most of the program content and began
working on an outline for video production to support the course materials. In
May of 2008, the IAFF began video production to support this program at the Warner
Brothers Studios in California. Over the next several months, video segments
were edited and the student and facilitator manuals were created.

In September 2008, the FGS Committee began conducting beta classes to test and
evaluate the curriculum and the delivery methods. To date, beta tests of the
class have been conducted in New York, Los Angeles County, Austin, Tucson and
Frederick County, Maryland. These classes included members from more than 30 IAFF affiliates.

New York, NY/IAFF Locals 94/854 Beta Class

Bridgeport, CT/IAFF Local 834

Hackensack, NJ/IAFF Local 2081

Mt. Vernon, NY/IAFF Local 107

New Rochelle, NY/IAFF Local 273

Yonkers, NY/IAFF Local 628

Los Angeles County CA/IAFF Local 1014 Beta Class

Avalon, CA/IAFF Local 2295

Burbank, CA/IAFF Local 778

Costa Mesa, CA/IAFF Local 1465

Kern County, CA/IAFF Local 1301

Los Angeles City, CA/IAFF Local 112

Oxnard, CA/IAFF Local 1684

Tucson, AZ/IAFF Local 0479 Beta Class

Drexel, AZ

Golden Ranch, AZ

Grass Valley, AZ

Phoenix, AZ/IAFF Local 493

Sierra Vista, AZ/IAFF Local 4492

Austin, TX/IAFF Local 975 Beta Class

Cedar Park, TX/IAFF Local 4233

Georgetown, TX/IAFF Local 3991

Lake Travis, TX/IAFF Local 4117

Oak Hill/TX/IAFF Local 4253

Pflugerville, TX/IAFF Local 4137

San Antonio, TX/IAFF Local 624

Travis County, TX/IAFF Local 4583

Frederick County, MD/IAFF Local 3666 Beta Class

Baltimore City, MD/IAFF Local 734

Baltimore County, MD/IAFF Local 1311

Burleson, TX/IAFF Local 4025

Prince George's County, MD/IAFF Local 1619

Seattle, WA/IAFF Local 27

Washington, DC/IAFF Local 36

Feedback from these beta classes was used to update the
curriculum and enhance the quality of the program. The program was also
highlighted at the IAFF’s 2009 John P. Redmond Symposium and the 2010 Fire
Department Instructors Conference (FDIC).

The next step in the development of this program was to determine the best delivery
method to provide the greatest access while maintaining the quality of
instruction and, most importantly, providing the highest degree of safety. The IAFF evaluated various methods of providing the classroom portion as an online
or distant learning module where members could progress through the curriculum
at their own pace.

The final challenge was the hands-on or practical evolutions. To provide the
proper supervision and safety requires a significant instructor-to-student
ratio. Accordingly, the IAFF developed procedures and course instructions to
make the program available to all members with minimal costs and without
compromising quality and safety. The IAFF tested these procedures with the
assistance of the Prince George's County Fire and Emergency Medical Services
Department and IAFF Local 1619 in May 2010.

FGS Certification
Process

IAFF Fire Ground Survival Awareness

This program is
suitable for all ranks and experience levels. The Fire Ground Survival course
is a comprehensive curriculum developed using near misses, close calls and
fire fighter fatalities to address the critical elements of fire ground
survival.

Information from
the IAFF, IAFC, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NIOSH,
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), United States Fire Administration (USFA),
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the
military was used to develop the five-part curriculum consisting of:

1.
Mayday Prevention.

2. Being Ready for the Mayday.

3. Self-Survival
Procedures.

4. Self-Survival Skills.

5. Fire Fighter Expectations of
Command During a Mayday.

Successful
completion of this course requires the study of actual near misses and
fatalities to reinforce the learning of each of the five parts. Students will
listen to presentations, view videos of simulated Mayday incidents and read
documentation supporting how best to prevent a Mayday, as well as how best
to prepare for, and handle an actual Mayday. Students will learn the
specific actions a fire fighter must perform to assure the highest degree of
survivability when things on the fire ground go wrong.

Students will
also learn the specific actions the incident commander, dispatchers and
others on the fire ground must take to assist in the fire fighter’s rescue.
Mastery of the concepts will be evaluated using a post-test for each
section.

This FGS awareness course is a pre-requisite for participation in the FGS Instructor
Training (Train-the-Trainer/TtT) Course.